1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sports apparatus and especially to a ball-bat construction.
In particular, the device of this invention concerns a stickball bat adapted for striking and propelling a flexible wall, air-filled ball.
2. Description of Related Art
Ball-bats have traditionally been designed with an enlarged diameter head for placing a maximum mass at the point of contact with the ball. Those bats were conventionally tapered toward a handle end to provide a comfortable hand grip. Furthermore, those ball-bats were generally made of wood or more recently of aluminum, and had a weight distribution such that the center of gravity was located at a point greater than one-half the bat length, as measured from the handle end. Those constructions are typically illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,479,030 and 3,729,196.
It should be further noted that the ball-bats as previously discussed were intended primarily for use when playing the game of baseball and/or softball.
The ball-bat of the instant invention, however, is concerned with the game of stickball. This sports activity is indigenous to urban areas having limited space for ball fields and is usually played on paved surfaces such as in schoolyards or on city streets. Another aspect of this game is that a hollow core, rubber surface ball or textured surface, tennis ball is generally utilized rather than a solid core baseball or softball. The aforementioned hollow core balls were relatively light in weight and when thrown toward a batter provided a fast moving projectile that could readily be made to alter its flight path as it approached the batter. A ball-bat for hitting such a ball should ideally be light in weight and adapted for rapid acceleration during the swinging motion. The baseball/softball bats previously described had a size and weight distribution which was necessary for providing the required impact strength for hitting a baseball or softball, but inappropriate for stickball use.
An attempt to provide a suitable stickball bat was made by using a broomstick or mop handle. A disadvantage, however, of those improvised ball-bats was that there was no consistency in size, length, diameter, or linear trueness.
Commercially available wood ball-bats designed for stickball solved some of these problems, however, those bats were manufactured with a uniform diameter and consequently did not provide a reduced diameter handle section for a comfortable hand grip or a knob for preventing the bat from slipping out of the batter's hands.
Another shortcoming of the prior wood construction stickball bats was that under actual playing conditions, they frequently splintered, cracked, became warped or were damaged when dropped on the hard playing surface or when hitting the ball at a location distant from the center of gravity.
A ball-bat design using tubular plastic construction was shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,816, however, that bat was intended for use as a warm-up or practice bat and it had a weight chamber filled with sand and a relatively short length span.
The stickball bat of the instant invention in contrast, includes a tubular metal construction for strength and durability.
Furthermore, the respective components provide a weight distribution such that the center of gravity is located at a point not greater than one-half the bat length, as measured from the handle end.